1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the art of storing and displaying perishable goods, and more particularly relates to shelf and standard arrangements for refrigerated display cabinets.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Modern self-service supermarket type retailing has required innovative shelving in order to display wares fully to discerning shoppers. Such self-service shelves serve not only to present the goods attractively, but also to provide storage space. To store more items efficiently without detracting from the attractiveness of the overall presentation is a goal presenting problems as times.
Such problems are particularly significant in shelving for storing perishables that must be refrigerated. Such shelving must be constructed wholly within the refrigerated enclosure to maintain a relatively air-tight enclosure. Yet, it is often desired to change the position of such shelves, either by altering the vertical spacing between shelves or removing shelves to accommodate varying sizes of food containers.
Other features are desired which determine ultimate design. In food displays, it is important, for example, that the shelves and interiors of refrigerated display cabinets be made of materials which are easily cleaned. Frequently, milk, sugared drinks and other perishables leak or escape from their containers and adhere to shelves, shelf standards or cabinet interiors. If left uncleaned, the odor becomes unpleasant and the scene is not appetizing. The shelves and cabinet interiors, therefore, should be easily reached for cleaning.
Indeed, the National Sanitation Foundation has established a requirement that shelf standards and shelves in refrigerated cabinets must be capable of manual removal, unassisted by implements or tools. Further, all standards and shelves must have all parts, when so disassembled, fully exposed for ready cleaning. "Fully exposed" as hereinafter used in this specification means that all surfaces are open to the outside, and are directly reached by a human hand without the aid of specially designed implements or tools.
Often it is desired to position standards inside the refrigerated cabinet. Such standards have recesses, holes or slots for receiving clips. Such holes are formed at regular intervals along the vertically placed standard so that the clips can be positioned at a selected one of a very large number of discrete vertical heights. Shelves are laid on two or four clips at the same height on two or four respective standards arranged within the cabinet interior.
In the past and at the present, the materials for such standards are relatively thin for reasons of economy and manufacture. Relatively thin elements of a standard can be made by extrusion, a relatively simple and low cost method of manufacture. Thin elements, however, may lack necessary strength for supporting a large number of shelves and accompanying stored articles. If relatively thin metal is to be used for the standard, some arrangement must be made to strengthen or reinforce the standard.
Frequently standards are placed in the center of the lateral dimensions of the cabinet interior to section off the space within the display cabinet interior into different portions or rows. Such a center-positioned standard should have the capability of supporting slips on either of its lateral sides at the same height.
Summarizing the requirements for shelf systems and standards for shelf systems within refrigerated display cabinet interiors, it is seen that the shelves must be easily removed from the cabinet, and positioned within the cabinet at varying selected heights according to the foods and containers for foods that are to be displayed. The standards supporting the shelves should be capable of supporting shelves on both sides of the standard, and each standard should be easily removable from the shelf system and cabinet interior without the use of implements or tools. The entire shelf and standard arrangement should be readily cleaned by hand, without the necessity for special tools or implements.
The prior art has sought to meet these requirements more or less by a system having two relatively thin extruded metal strips, each having holes punched therethrough. The metal strips are placed back-to-back, usually about a separator or spacing bar providing strength. The entire assembly is joined by some fastening means joining not only the component parts together, but also the standard assembly to the cabinet structure.
Each extruded metal strip in this multiple component assembly normally has a slightly bent vertical edge to create a slight space or volume for receiving stud portions of shelf-supporting clips. The strength bar then operates further to separate the space behind the oppositely aligned extruded metal strips, in order to prevent the stud portions of shelf-supporting clips from interfering with each other when they are positioned at relatively comparable heights on opposite sides of the standard.
Such an arrangement presents several areas of difficulty. In the first place, the assembly may contain seven component parts, including several two-part fasteners. In order to solve the problem of manual disassembly, the fasteners usually include a wing-tip nut or some other threaded nut arrangement which is sufficiently large so as to be turned by hand. Such a wing-tip nut assembly invariably presents an extension or protrusion into the interior of the cabinet, and may act as a snag for patrons' arms and hands. The sharp flanks of the nut are capable of puncturing or breaking containers, such as paper milk containers or glass bottles. Further, corrosion of the nut assembly may prevent simple manual removal of the nut.
The steel strip backside space for receiving the shelf-supporting clip studs forms a trap for perishable food components, such as liquids or small food solids, such as powder. It is impractical to clean the standard without disassembling the standard into its component parts. In addition the spacer bar, in order to provide the necessary strength for supporting shelves on both sides of the standards, necessarily must have some volume which detracts from the usable space within the cabinet interior.
One attempt by the prior art to solve these problems involves providing a deeply recessed U-channel having clip receiving holes punched through oppositely faced sides of the U-structure. Since the shelf-supporting clips often have side studs for stabilizing the clip on the standard, each individual, oppositely faced side portion itself has a U-shaped form. The resulting corrugation in the channel structure further serves the purpose of providing strength in the individual faces themselves.
These two oppositely faced U-shaped forms are connected by an integral connector to form the deeply recessed U-channel. In this embodiment, the U-channel is mounted on brackets extended from mullions, the brackets being welded to the standard. The effect of this welded connection is to create a section or portion of the U-channel which is virtually enclosed except for the clip holes and the very narrow opening at the top of the U-shape.
There are several problems associated with this embodiment, including the requirement to unscrew or otherwise dislodge the brackets from the mullions in order to remove the standard from the refrigerated cabinet. There is a wasted volume or space defined by the interior of the U-channel, which acts as a trap for food seeping or falling through the clip retaining holes along the oppositely disposed faces of the channel. The interior of this channel is cleaned only with the help of specially designed cleaning implements. Indeed, in the closed space within the channel between the welded brackets, it is difficult to remove perishable liquid or solid deposits even with special brushes.
A simply constructed and readily assembled shelf and standard arrangement for cabinet interiors which will meet all of the safety and sanitary requirements considered essential for enclosed cabinet display arrangements is desired. A simple one-piece standard capable of having shelf-supporting clips mounted on opposite sides at the same height is particularly desired. It is sought, further, that the one-piece standard will have all surfaces fully exposed for ready cleaning. The desired standard, further, should not have unreasonable extensions for snagging the displayed or stored goods, and should be easily removed from the cabinet interior. In addition, the standard should have sufficient strength to support along its vertical height a number of shelves with goods placed thereon.